Environmental Chemistry:

Components of Environment:

Atmosphere: This comprises a blanket of gaseous layer around earth.

Hydrosphere: This comprises about 96% of earths surface & includes all sources of water

like oceans rivers lakes, glaciers, ground water etc.

Lithosphere: It refers to earths solid crust containing the outer mineral cover. It comprises

soil, minerals, organic matter etc.

Biosphere: It refers to the domain of living organism in covalent with atmosphere
hydrosphere as well as lithosphere.

Environmental Pollution :
Process of contamination of the environment with harmful wastes arising mainly from human
activities.

Pollutant: Any substance or species produced either by a natural source or by human

activity, which produces adverse effect on the environment.

Contaminant: A substance which does not occurs in nature but is introduced by human

activity into the atmosphere affecting its composition.

Source: The site from which the pollution or contaminants originate.

Sink: The material or medium which consumes or interacts with a long lived pollutant is
called sink.
Receptor : Anything that is affected by the pollutants.
Threshold limit value (TLV) : This indicates the permissible limit of a pollutant in
atmosphere to which a healthy worker is exposed during hours a day or 40 hours a week for life
time without any adverse effects. TLV are determined by experimentation on animals, by use of
medical knowledge, epidemiology surveys & environmental studies.

Tropospheric pollution or Air pollution:

It is the atmosphere condition in which the presence of certain concentration produce harmful
effects on man and his environment. These substances include:
(i) Gases such as oxides of sulphur, CO, oxide of N2 and hydrocarbons
(ii) Particulate matter such as dust, smoke, fumes etc.
(iii) Radioactive material & many others.
Primary pollutants : These are the pollutants which are emitted directly from the sources. Some
examples are:
Particulate Matter : Such as ash, smoke, dust, fumes etc.
Inorganic gases : Such as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide etc.
Secondary PollutantsThese are the pollutants which are formed in the atmosphere by chemical
interaction among primary pollutants & normal atmospheric constituents. Some examples are
sulphur trioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, aldehyde, ketones, various sulphate & nitrate salts
Pollutant

Source

Sink

Effect

Hydroxyl & perhydroxyl

Carbon monoxide is

radicals, atomic oxygen &

poisonous as it combines with

automobile engines & also in

ozone help in the oxidation of

hemoglobin of red blood cells

defective furnaces, Incomplete

atmospheric CO into CO2 .

about 300 times faster than

Carbon monoxide (a) Incomplete combustion of

(CO)
carbonaceous matter,

combustion of fossil fuels,

agricultural , slash matter and
other carbon

O2, thus forming carboxyl

Soil is major sink for CO.

hemoglobin.

Some of the microorganism

2C + O2 2CO

present in soil remove carbon

monoxide from air.

This decreases the transport

of oxygen to the body organs
& cells.

(b) Dissociation of carbon

dioxide.
2CO2

2CO + O2

(c) Reaction of carbon dioxide

with carbon containing
compounds at high temperature.
CO2 + C

2CO

Carbon dioxide

It is released mainly into the

Ocean is a main sink for CO2.

CO2 causes narcotic effect,

(CO2)

atmosphere by the combustion

stimulation of respiratory

of fossil fuels (coal, oil etc) in

center & leads to

factories & also at homes.

asphyxiation. The increasing

CO2 is also produced by

Green plants for photo

concentration of CO2 also

biological decay of plants

synthesis.

changes climatic conditions

especially by raising the

general temperature.

Oxides of sulphur Volcanic eruptions (natural

(SOx)
activity) & also through

It causes cough, shortness of

breath & spasm of larynx,

combustion of sulphur bearing

acute irritation to the

fuels such as coal & oil (human

membrane of gas resulting

activity).

tears & reduces hearing

ability.

This pollutant is also produced

during roasting & smelting of

SO2 irritates the respiratory

sulphide ores (human activity)

system of animals & human,

produces leaf injuries (called
necrotic bloating) to board

A part of SO2 undergoes

leaved plants & gases. It also

photolytic & catalytic oxidation

causes deterioration of fabric

to form SO3. The SO3, so

(cotton, rayon) paper &

formed gets converted to

leather.

H2SO4 in the presence of

moisture. This acid comes
down from the atmosphere in
the form of sulphuric acid rain.

Oxides of

NO2 is produced in small

Many natural processes acts

(i) NO is biologically less

Nitrogen (NOx)

amounts by microbiological

as sink for oxides of nitrogen.

active & less toxic than NO2.

processes in soil. However

These oxides are inherently

Like CO it binds hemoglobin &

significant amount of NO &

unstable & decompose to

decreases oxygen transport

NO2 are emitted in to the

N2 & O2 after some time.

efficiency of blood.

atmosphere by natural activity.

Therefore, the concentration

(ii) Inhaling of nitrogen

of nitrogen oxides in the

oxides by human results in

atmosphere tends to remains

pulmonary odema &

low.

hemorrhage.
(iii) The oxides of nitrogen
cause damage to plants.
Exposure of plants to
NOx causes leaf spotting &
break down of plant tissues.
(iv) The sunlight reacts with

NO2 to produce highly active

oxygen atoms.

Particulate matter:

Soot: produced by incomplete combustion of carbonaceous fossils fuels such as coal, fuel

oil, natural gas, wood etc in insufficient supply of oxygen.

Metal particles: These are released by various metal finishing operation. The micro particles
of toxic metal & SO2 gas present in the polluted atmosphere get absorbed on the particles

rendering them highly toxic.

Metal oxides : They are generated by combustion of fuels containing metallic compounds.
Lead salts: Their source is lead tetraethyl (Pb(C2H5)4) which is added to gasoline to improve
its antiknock property. In order to avoid deposition of PbO suitable amounts of C 2H4Cl2 &

C2H4Br2 are added to gasoline along with Pb(C2H5)4.

Fly ash: It originates from the combustion of high ash fossil. It contains partially burnt

particles of the fuels.

Asbestos dust: It originates from industrial units manufacturing asbestos sheets, gaskets
ropes etc. Asbestos flowing & asbestos insulations also contribute towards asbestos dust in the

atmosphere.
Solid Hydrocarbons: These are emitted from petroleum refineries & comprise of paraffins,

olefins & aromatics.

Dust Particulates: Originate from natural, domestic, industrial or agricultural sources. These

are thrown into atmosphere by volcanic eruptions, blowing of dust by wind, mining operations etc.
Acid mist : Sulphuric acid mist is produced when SO 3 present in the atmosphere comes in
contact with moisture. Nitric acid mist is produced when oxides of nitrogen, viz, NO & NO 2,
undergo the series of reactions in the atmosphere.

Harmful effects of particulates

Effect on human beings: Affect the human respiratory system & cause several respiratory
illnesses. The particles with small size are more harmful in this context. The particulates in fact,
become the carriers of the toxic substances from the atmosphere to the human & cause big

health hazards.
Effect on visibility: Particulates in the atmosphere cause scattering & absorption of sunlight

& reduce the visibility.

Effect on Materials : The adverse effect of particulates on materials include corrosion of
metals (when the atmosphere is humid), erosion & soiling of building, sculptures & painted
surfaces & soiling of clothes & draperies.

Stratospherical
depletion):

Pollution:

(ozone

layer

Role of Ozone Layer: protecting earth from the UV radiation coming from the sun.

&

its

Depletion of Ozone Layer : The equilibrium between formation & destruction of ozone has been
upset by influx of several substances into the atmosphere which react with ozone to destroy it.
Effect of Depletion of Ozone layer: The influx of UV radiation reaching the surface of earth would
increase which would increase in risk to skin cancer due to exposure to UV radiation, UV radiations
also tend to damage the immune system.

Acid Rain:
SO2, nitrogen oxides & acidic soots. Sulphurdioxide & nitrogen dioxide interact with water vapours in
presence of sunlight to form sulphuric acid & nitric acid units.

Green House Effect & Global Warming:

The green house gases (CO2, CH4, O3, CFCS ) in the atmosphere form a thick cover around the
earth. About 75% of the solar energy reaching the earth is absorbed by the earth surface. The IR
radiations coming from sun are not absorbed by atmospheric gases but Earth absorbs these IR
radiations of short wavelength. As a result of this the temperature of earth stands rising. Eventually,
earth starts emitting infrared radiations of longer wavelengths. The partially radiated infrared
radiations from the earth are absorbed by the greenhouse gases. This results in excessive heating
of Earths atmosphere. Thus the greenhouse gases add to the heating of atmosphere. This causes
global warming. The atmosphere traps the suns heat near earths surface and keeps it warm. The
reemission of the earths energy absorbed by CO2 and other greenhouse gases present near the
earths surface and its radiation back to the earth is called green house effect.
Advantages of green house effect :

It is necessary for evaporation of water, formation of clouds, rainfall etc.

The warm atmosphere helps in rapid growth of plants, trees etc.

Harmful effects of green house effect :

High temperature of atmosphere may melt polar ice caps which are likely to raise the level of
sea thereby sinking most of the coastal areas and causing large scale destruction.

The high temperature may reduce crop product.

The high temperature will reduce work efficiency of human being.

Tropical rains and hurricane will become more frequent and also stronger causing more
devastation.

The change in ocean temperature will adversely affect the warm life.

Water Pollution:
Pollutant

Source

Microorganism

Domestic sewage

Organic wastes

Domestic sewage, animal waste, decaying animals, plants and discharge from
food processing factories

Plant nutrients

Chemical fertilizers

Toxic heavy metals

Industries and chemical factories

Sediments

Erosion of soil by agriculture and strip mining

Pesticides

Chemical used for killing insects, fungi & weeds

Radioactive substances

Mining of Uranium containing minerals

Heat

Water used by industrial plants which is discharged as hot water

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) : The measure of the total contamination caused by
compounds which can be oxidised in the presence of microorganisms. The BOD is taken as a
realistic measure of water quality clean water would have a BOD value of less than 5 ppm
whereas highly polluted river water could have a BOD value of 17 ppm or more.

Land Pollution :
Caused by pesticides and other chemicals which are added to the soil to grow better crops.
Insecticides are the pesticides used to Control of insects by insecticides helps to curb disease and
protect crops. Organo chlorines are a group of compounds which have been developed and used as
insecticides.Examples: DDT (dichlorodiphenyl trichloro ethane) organo chlorines are stable in the
environment, toxic to insects in small amounts, but much less go to humans, and because they are
organic compounds not very soluble in water. The advantage of these insecticides is that, bring
persistent
Fungicides are the pesticides used to check the growth of fungi. Fungi, are plants without
chlorophyll, they cannot use solar energy for preparing their food. They live as saprophytes on
decaying organic matter or as

parasites at the expense of living organisms. Hence they are

considered to be a threat to human interests